Plan of Salvation, children's version

For my dad's birthday this year, he requested that all seven of us children hold our own "plan of salvation celebration" in his honor, where we discuss and learn and review as a family the purpose of life--where we came from, why we're here, and where we're going.

This is a beautiful explanation of the doctrine; my captions below are just a cursory glance.

Michael put himself in charge, and Clara helped him make the signs. We then filmed it and sent it to him as youtube clips.

Premortal life (the playroom): We lived in heaven as spirits before we came to earth. This is called the pre-mortal life. Clara drew the angel--complete with halo--and told Michael that it was Grandma Elizabeth (my dad's mother who died before I was born).

Birth (the stairs): We wanted to gain a body and be tested to prove our worthiness to return to live with Heavenly Father again. So we were born.

 Earth life (the entryway): Yay! We came to earth!

 Sometimes life on earth is hard. Fortunately, God did not leave us alone here and has sent us His words through prophets and apostles, both ancient and modern, and communicates with us through prayer.

Death (the garage entry): Then eventually, our body and our spirit separate at death.

Spirit prison (the mudroom): Our spirits go up to the spirit world, which is divided into spirit prison and spirit paradise.

 Spirit prison is a holding place where those who didn't know about Christ and His gospel are taught by missionaries so they can have a chance to accept and follow Him; it is also the place where those who reject His teachings go. They wait here until they are resurrected.

Spirit paradise (the screened-in porch): Spirit paradise is a happy place where those who have been obedient go and wait until they are resurrected and judged.


Resurrection (the screen door): After Jesus Christ comes again, our bodies and spirits are reunited, perfect and whole. Yahoo!

 Judgment (outside stairs): Then our thoughts, words, and deeds are judged by God, with Jesus Christ as our advocate, determining our final state.

 Telestial kingdom (a Brookside chocolate-covered pomegranate): The lowest degree of glory, represented by a star. Those who are murderers, liars, and adulterers go here. True hell, or outer darkness, is reserved for those who had a fullness of knowledge of the Savior but rejected Him, like Judas.

 Terrestrial kingdom (a single Oreo): The final place for those who were good people but not valiant, represented in glory by the moon.

 Celestial kingdom (Klondike bars, baby): The highest kingdom of glory, represented by the sun, where Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ live, reserved for those who are true followers and have been obedient to the very end.

 Only the best for this girl.

 Robbie enjoyed some Klondike bar and then decided to go back and eat the terrestrial kingdom's goody as well.

The celestial kingdom is where we want to be, united forever as a family.

Storybook Trail

After snow and uncomfortably cold temperatures, all of the Shenandoah Valley briefly came out of hibernation to enjoy the sun and warm weather this past weekend.

We decided to drive up to New Market to enjoy the brief half-mile (round trip!) Storybook Trail.

These two were holding hands for a few precious moments before Robbie took off trotting down the path. His energy and zest for life really enliven us all. It would have been a very different walk without him, and it is just so joyous to see him run just because, well, who wants to walk when you can run? (Me, that's who.)

 We took a little detour off the path and found some big boulders. Clara got on the rock and took this position, informing us that she was meditating. Michael followed suit, but unfortunately meditation + nineteen-month-old = hahahahahahahaha

While the view was not nearly as impressive as I'm sure it looks in spring or autumn, in our eyes it was gorgeous simply because we could enjoy it without freezing our toes off.

Recent fun

I failed to post some of the other recent happenings 'round these parts and wanted to catch up a bit.

 I totally forgot to show my favorite Valentine gift. Isn't Robbie amazing?

Okay, I guess he doesn't call me Brittany. You got me.

 This kid cracks me up with his love for hats. Scary face, cute kid.

 During the big snow we went down to our neighbor's hill and enjoyed a few runs.

 Robbie briefly tolerated wearing my sunglasses to keep the snow out of his face.

 I was proud of Clara for going down as well, even though after last year's accidental solo run she has not ever wanted to sled again. Go girl!

This kid loves the snow.

 Blanket rides around the house are a big hit.

I think they prefer separate blankets, however.

Hiding in the closet is also a fun past time, especially with a good book--one about cars, trucks, and tractors, please.

Valentine's celebrations

I know that Valentine's Day is a commercial holiday. I tell Michael not to get me flowers on Valentine's because they are overpriced just for the occasion. This year he said, "I am going to ask you a multiple choice question. The answers are (a) Yes, or (b) Figure it out. The question is, "Do you want me to buy you something for Valentine's Day?" I laughed and said that I wanted him to make me a card. Since our dating years, Michael has always made me lovely and creative cards. This year was no different and he wrote me a beautiful letter, complete with a message/scribble from the kids as well.

However, I also am looking at holidays as excuses for celebrations. For example, I realize that my mom didn't dye pancakes pink because they tasted good or put hearts on the windows because they were elegant, but rather because it was a small way to create something special--a tradition--that the kids looked forward to each year. Little things are easy to make into traditions (if I can just remember to do them each year) and become another thread in the rope that binds the family together. Now Valentine's Day isn't really a romantic holiday so much as an excuse to show my family in a fun way that I love them.

I was so excited for this Valentine's Day to use the red goblets from my grandmother that my mother generously gave me. I made bran muffins in the heart-shaped pan she also gave me, but they sort of ended up looking like massive blobs instead. Along with grapefruit, OJ, milk, and strawberry yogurt, the breakfast was a hit. Each person--minus Robbie--got a little treat as well (he was not too happy about that). I didn't want to leave myself out so I got one, too--a little Whitman's Sampler. Clara got a heart full of gum, which she ate over the course of like three days (about 30 pieces!).

 Michael's yearly heart-shaped pizza is always delicious--this year he put cheese in the crust.

The loves of my life.

Bath time

This boy LOVES his baths, which he gets to take nearly every day due to messy diapers and crazy eating. He kicks his legs and drinks the water (gross) and plays with the blue bowl. He also loves escaping during diaper changes and running down the hall naked (and sometimes peeing on the carpet if we haven't diapered him back up in time).

Haven't seen cuter bum cheeks than those.

The golden age

I have been thinking lately about all the cruddy things that are going on in our society. Actually, I've been thinking how easy it is to focus on all the cruddy things that are going on in our society. Let's sample just a few, shall we?

Kids aren't getting the education they need to keep up with other countries and prepare to lead our future country.
Kids and adults are overweight, eating too much processed food, and not getting enough exercise.
The family is losing traction as the central unit of society and marriage is being undermined.
Pornography is rampant.
The gap between the rich and middle class increases.
People are showing less personal accountability and look to exterior "protections" like laws instead of having personal integrity.
Women are mostly valued based on their bodies.
American parents coddle their kids and protect them too much. 
Autism, ADHD, asthma, allergies are on the rise without clear reasons.
The U.S. as a whole is forgetting its faith-based roots and fewer people attend church or affiliate with a religion.

And that doesn't even address things like terrorism, war, environmental challenges, and disease.

Okay, that was depressing.

Anyway, it seems like some folks--including myself--think back fondly on former days and think or say things like, "Oh, it was great during the Reagan years," or "Back in your grandmother's time, she only ate things she'd grown herself," or "It used to be that kids could just run around after school; now they're just scheduled and going going going."

So, I've decided I want to look forward and not back. There has been evil and good in the world in every age. Is this the last dispensation before the Savior returns? Yes. So will it get worse? Unfortunately, yes.  

But you know what? Even though I do find myself wishing I lived like Laura Ingalls or Elizabeth Bennett, I also think about the negatives of other time periods. Let's think of some of the great things about today's American society:

I have an equal vote.
I can wear pants and don't have to wear panty hose every day. Hallelujah.
My children and I have access to wonderful books through public libraries.
The Internet can connect us with long-lost friends and family and provides us with knowledge about wonderful things.
Fake foods like Mint Creme Oreos and Riesens exist.
The gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored to the earth.
Cars make travel very convenient and our roads are paved.
We have indoor plumbing and warm homes without chinks in the walls.
I can go to a grocery store and get ice cream every week if I want to.
I have nice-smelling body wash and a razor to shave my legs.
I can listen to beautiful, amazing music of any variety every day.
We can learn about the weather in advance to prepare for it (even if it's not always accurate).
We are privileged to learn about a religion and choose to follow its precepts without fear of reprisal.
I can give birth to my children with a doctor and nurses to help me.
We enjoy spices like cinnamon and nutmeg and exotic fruits like bananas and oranges whenever we want them, even if they're not locally in season.
There are still lots of wonderful people in the world--good neighbors, caring friends, honest lawyers, selfless parents, and dedicated teachers.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg.

So, even though there is much that is going wrong in the world, there is also so much to be thankful for. Do I miss even the carefree days of my own youth? Yes--I wish my children could enjoy more freedom without adult supervision. But do I miss having to sit down attached to a cord while talking on the phone? No. Am I sometimes too focused on and distracted by all the information from the Internet/cell phone contacts/Facebook/etc.? Yes--but I am thankful I can ask a question with a few tapes of my fingers and receive an answer.

Like Elder Jeffrey R Holland said, "As someone once said, 'Even in the golden age of civilization someone undoubtedly grumbled that everything looked too yellow.'"

So while I don't want to stand idly by and become a product of my society, I do want to embrace the good that it offers while choosing to stand strong against the tide of negativity, evil, and filth that threatens to overturn us. Fortunately, even though we know that all things must fail, we know that "Charity never faileth" (1 Corinthians 13:8). So charity (God's pure love), along with our covenants, will never fail, even when our economy and society do. And the great thing is, we have complete control over those things: no matter how people are acting around us, we can be true and faithful with the Lord's help.

Looks like a pretty golden age to me.